Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear the Associate Dean,

I am appealing to request credit standings in several courses I took last year, including PSYC 333&ARTH 253 from fall term 2016 and PSYC 221&PSYC 352 in the winter term.

There were several circumstances that have affected my academic performance quite extensively last year. For the past year, I experienced tremendous psychological pressure accumulated from several incidences. During the third year of study, I took the full course load both the fall and winter terms under the pressure to graduate on time after 4th year. It was an extremely stressful year. There was a lot of readings and assignments to do for each of my courses. Sometimes, I have to deal with three or four tests and assignments during the same day. In addition, language barrier also largely affected my academic performances in the studies. Psychology courses and art history courses require a very high level of English from all aspects which could be a challenge for me. I had to spend double or triple time as other native speaking students on the same course, but still obtain poorer results. This made me feel helpless as I tried to work hard myself. However, I didn¿¿t go to visit professor, neither did I talked this issue with my family or friends. It was because I didn¿¿t want to admit that I was in crisis and I desperately needed help. I guess it is because I am used to the life of being a strong positive person generally in my life and it would be embarrassing to seek help.

My family gave me a lot of pressure as well during that period of time. Being the eldest in the family means a lot of responsibility which could be quite distressing. Especially during a period of time in my family full of conflict and difficulties. Since they always expect me to grow up as the most excellent student and child, and I had to be the role model of my brothers. There was a lot of conflicts going on in my family as well. My youngest brother was so addicted to computer games that he would play games for 7 hours a day without enough sleep and healthy appetite. Since my dad was working in China most of the time, my mom would depend on me to deal with my brother¿¿s problems constantly. She would call me during the middle of class to talk to my brother and persuade him to go to school which interrupted my study seriously. I also experienced a quite long time emotional abuse in an unhealthy relationship. It made me felt undervalued and unworthy and unmotivated to do anything.

Under all of the stressful situations and various events, I could not be able to maintain a satisfying level of academic performances. I experienced constant insomnia during the night due to anxiety. I felt so tired and anxious during the day that I could not finish the work or even concentrate during class. I felt isolated without being able to communicate properly with my family and friends. There were also other symptoms of anxiety and mild depression including constant chest pain and breathing difficulties. I knew that I was being really unhealthy and I had to save myself from this endless crisis. Therefore, I went to see a psychological counsellor at the student wellness center regularly to help me release some of the pressure. I really appreciate the counsellor who listened to me and told me it was okay to feel sad and cry instead of pretending to be happy. She taught me some techniques of how to control anxiety and keep track of my study.

During the past summer, I communicated with my family about my pressure and what they could do to help me overcoming all the difficulties. And I developed a healthier lifestyle by going to the gym regularly for the past 4 month. I also made the decision to carry on life myself without the past exhausting relationship. After spending quality time with my family and friends, travelling and planning for future, I feel ready to embrace my life with refreshed mid and positive attitudes.
In order to make sure that I will be able to cope with future stressful situations, I will make some adaptive adjustments when necessarily. If the courses are difficult, then I will consider to drop one or two to ensure quality studying in other courses. I will also consider retaking some of the courses that I felt should work harder. I will talk to the professors regularly to make sure I am on the right track as everyone else does. It will be a good idea to find friends to study together. In order to complete university with better academic standing, I am willing to take an extra year to finish the courses if necessary and seek out opportunities to participate in research groups in the psychology department.
Please understand that I am not a bad student and I have been trying really hard to overcome all the difficulties and I believe that I will be able to live a healthier and happier life and deal with the academic challenges well. Thank you for taking time to consider this appeal.

Sincerely,
Zhao Hui Wang (10149570)